2009-03-30

Spurgeon, alluding to Peter warming his hands around the fire, exhorts Christians to choose to be cold rather than be warm where there is temptation. Better to Be Cold than to Warm Ourselves Where We Are Exposed to Temptation

White points to an argument that Ehrman repeats, wherein he asserts that White, Wallace, etc. don’t think that variants matter, when he is grossly misrepresenting evangelicals and his former faith. White quotes Wallace at length responding to Ehrman, saying that the 1% of meaningful and viable variants do matter, but they don’t affect any cardinal doctrine. It’s a massive leap to go from that reasonable position to the idea that they don’t matter at all, or to Ehrman’s idea that the original is hopelessly lost (i.e. the leap from "textual variants are important and should be studied carefully" to "we don't have a CLUE what the original writers wrote"), and both positions must be rejected. Bart Ehrman's Consistent Inconsistency

Here’s a short definition of teleological arguments. Particularly, this briefly discusses two forms of design arguments: The first is an argument from analogy that attempts to compare man-made objects to objects in nature, and so infer design; the second tries to discern reliable indicators of intelligent design such as fitness to accomplish a purpose and specific arrangement of parts necessary to bring about the purpose. Philosophy Word of the Day – Teleological Arguments, Part 1

Engwer has put together an impressive list of articles on Easter with an apologetics focus. Resources For Easter

Some interesting notes from AiG: “Time and time again, we encounter reports of an animal evolving “right before our very eyes.” So far, every time we’ve dug into the details, it turns out the scientists and reporters are—knowingly or unknowingly—pulling a bait and switch. While the headlines suggest animals are “evolving” in such a way that supports molecules-to-man evolution (i.e., Darwinian evolution), the facts merely show how natural selection can reduce the genetic information in a given animal population—the opposite of Darwinian evolution.” “Philip Skell, a member of the National Academy of Sciences for more than three decades, cautions against protecting Darwinism through censorship: “there are a number of us in the scientific community who, while we appreciate Darwin’s contributions, think that the rhetorical approach of scientists such as Coyne unnecessarily polarizes public discussions and . . . overstates both the evidence for Darwin’s theory of historical biology and the benefits of Darwin’s theory to the actual practice of experimental science… Examining the major advances in biological knowledge, one fails to find any real connection between biological history and the experimental designs that have produced today’s cornucopia of knowledge of how the great variety of living organisms perform their functions. It is our knowledge of how these organisms actually operate, not speculations about how they may have arisen millions of years ago, that is essential to doctors, veterinarians, farmers and other practitioners of biological science.” http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/2009/02/28/news-to-note-02282009

DeYoung writes, “On May 31, 1567, Guido de Bres, 47 years old, was publicly hanged in the marketsquare of Valenciennes. He was pushed off the scaffold as he exhorted the crowd to be faithful to Scripture and respectful to the magistrates. His body was buried in a shallow grave where it was later dug up and torn apart by wild animals. Today few know the name of Guido de Bres, but millions continue to be nourished by the Confession he wrote.”  de Bres was instrumental in producing the Belgic Confession in an attempt to show the king that they were not anabaptist revolutionaries. The Belgic Confession and the Hero No One Remebers

Swan writes, “One of the leading Roman Catholic theologians of the sixteenth century was Johann Eck. He also wrote some virulent anti-Jewish tracts. Here we find two leading theologians of the Protestant Church (Luther) and the Roman Catholic Church both engaging in clearly anti-Christian attitudes. How could two of the best minds of the sixteenth century be so wrong and not realize it? Had it just been Luther, perhaps a critic could say: “See the basis of Protestantism is flawed and leads to anti-Semitism.” However, Johann Eck was considered a Roman Catholic theologian of great brilliance. He was respected and revered by the Papacy (and utilized by the Papacy!), and yet he also attacked the Jews unjustly…” Catholic Theologian John Eck's Anti-Jewish Writings

Phillips points out that not only is sin very bad (Christ died for it, the Spirit steers believers away from it, and so on), but Christians and pastors have been tasked by God to put pressure on other believers when they wander into sin. However, those who claim to be Christians have developed ways, not of ridding themselves of sin, but of warding off anyone who tries to call them to repentance. He identifies The "grace" card (antinomianism), but you’re no evangelical if you treat grace as if it were how God makes it "okay" for me to live under sin's power without feeling guilt; the “judge not” card, when Jesus explained how to judge others in the following verses; the ironically hypocritical “you did it with the wrong attitude” (which is judging the heart, right?), which is sort of like, ‘yeah well so’s your old man!”; and the pathetic subject-changing get-to-keep-your-sin self-pious retort, ‘you’re not loving.’Scripture has a good deal of wisdom for the rebuked, and how they should receive it. Ways to avoid dealing with your sin

Hays responds to a Romanist by pointing out that modern Catholic Bible scholars don’t employ methodologies or go about interpreting Scripture in a way that’s fundamentally different from how we see Evangelical Bible scholars interpret Scripture. Moreover, consider the spectacle of four high-level Catholic epologists (Carson, Prejean, Watson, Liccinone) who offer four divergent versions of the doctrine of development, each havign to formulate his own doctrine of the doctrine of the development, and unable to agree with each other on the correct interpretation of the doctrine of development, each is an idiosyncratic, do-it-yourself version of this doctrine. This illustrates the unavoidable recourse to private interpretation. Why my doctrine of doctrinal development is better than your doctrine of doctrinal development i

Piper points out that God does not do the tempting—he does not put evil desires in our hearts (for he can have no evil desires in his heart)—but he does bring us into the presence of many tests and temptations. "A man's steps are from the Lord" (Proverbs 20:24). The Lord’s prayer isn’t asking to avoid this sovereign guidance, but that God will deliver us from the temptations. Does God “Lead Us Into Temptation”-

Regarding the eye of the needle, contrary to certain wishes, there was never a “Needle’s Eye” gate in Jerusalem, and the point of the story is that it is impossible. It takes a miracle for a rich man to be saved. The eye of a needle

Challies points to the fact that the retired elderly spend 7 hours per day watching TV. This isn’t Christ-honouring as basking in the glow of a 37” screen doesn’t exalt Christ before the world. He takes a lesson for pastors from Timothy, namely, that the pursuit of godliness is the greatest service that a pastor could give to the church, and quotes Piper praying to the effect that God would save him from the curse of a wasted retirement (golf, TV, fishing, etc). Piper says, “millions of Christian men and women are finishing their formal careers in their fifties and sixties, and for most of them there will be a good twenty years before their physical and mental powers fail. What will it mean to live those final years for the glory of Christ?” To Be Full of God

Chan of Triablogue has a post with some considerations on homosexuality. i) Those who practice homosexuality are, like all people, sinners, and they are, like all, guilty of other sins. ii) Few homosexuals are monogamous, and putting aside homosexuality for a moment, sex outside of marriage is wrong. Even if homosexuals can legally ‘marry’, it is still sin. iii) Whether it is hereditary doesn’t excuse it (though it could potentially mitigate sin in some cases), since (a) original sin is inherited, and (b) something like anger, if inherited, would not excuse murder. Even if homosexuality were genetic that does not make it normal (cf. cancer). iv) Homosexuality goes against the order of creation, of how God created us "male and female." Eve’s name is even tied to her role as mother. The family is the building block of society. “Homosexuality does away with our God-given roles as men and women and as families.” There is also the negative impact of raising children in a homosexual environ. v) We must love those who practice homosexuality by telling them the truth about their sins and their need for the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior. Gay pride

Renihan at RBF discusses the difficulty with languages. God communicates to us by way of analogy, since the creature-Creator distinction is so great. Communication is intrinsic to human existence,  but multiple languages, lacking one-to-one correspondence, the nature of words, and how their meaning changes over time, the inadequacy of words in some places, are all difficulties for translating God’s word and for historical theology (e.g. we don’t necessarily understand why Calvin or Edwards would write the way they do). Ekklesia was translated as church instead of assembly; baptizo was simply transliterated, instead of translated, and so on. But let’s be thankful for one word which never fails to communicate-the Word made flesh, our Lord Jesus Christ. He is faithful in all things, and never fails us. The Problem with Words

Grimmond at Solapanel points to the seemingly eclectic letter that is 1 Corinthians, with Paul going all over the place. He says that the integrating theme is the Lordship of Christ, and, this concept frees Paul to live his life and give up his freedom for the glory of God. What matters when Christ is Lord is giving up your life for the salvation of others (1 Cor. 9:22; 10:31-11:1). Eating and drinking to the glory of God

Leeman at 9Marks summarizes a chapter in Worldliness by Kauflin: “the basic argument of the chapter is: (i) music conveys content, context, and culture; (ii) not listening w/discernment leads to compromise; (iii) we should listen for God's glory.” Kauflin makes this great point: "music and its associations don't create sin in our hearts--they simply reveal what's already there.” Music is a precious gift but it makes a terrible god. Worldliness--chapter 3 on music by Jonathan Leeman

Leeman summarizes Harvey’s chapter in Worldiness on Material stuff. Materialism is a focus and trust on that which we can touch and possess. Covetous is desiring too much stuff or stuff too much. Pride and covetous are inevitably intertwined – advertisers peddle to internal arrogance! Guard yourself: (i) Consider your true riches. (ii) Confess and repent. (iii) Express specific gratitude. (iv) De-materialize your life. (v) Give generously. Worldliness--chapter 4 on STUFF by Jonathan Leeman

2009-03-28

Southern Seminary has a new PhD program in Biblical Spirituality. “The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary will introduce in January what is believed to be the first doctor of philosophy degree in spirituality offered at a Protestant institution in the United States.” New PhD Program in Biblical Spirituality in the News

Swan produces a review of Uwe Siemon-Netto’s book, The Fabricated Luther: Refuting Nazi Connections and Modern Myths, written by a member of the Department of Anthropology at the U of C. She writes, ‘those who were primarily responsible for the Holocaust and generally for the brutality on the Eastern Front of World War II were men who had not only left Christianity but were intent on destroying the entire Judeo-Christian tradition because it was unGerman.' and ‘Far from confirming a line from Luther to Hitler, Siemon-Netto shows the role that Lutheranism played in the resistance against the Hitler regime.’ (e.g. Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Carl Goerdeler). She concludes, “For anyone who wants to understand the relevance of Luther’s two realms belief in recent history, The Fabricated Luther deserves a place on your shelf. Indeed, I know of no other book that combines so naturally and effectively theology and Realpolitik, without politicizing the former or sacralizing the latter.” The Fabricated Luther- Refuting Nazi Connections and Modern Myths. See here for Swan’s examination of unnecessary exaggeration by Romanists of Luther’s sins in his treatments of the Jews at points. Finding Contexts in Peter F. Wiener's Martin Luther- Hitler's Spiritual Ancestor

Swan points to a “Reformed-Catholic” dialogue on the Eucharist. He makes the point, “Of course, all that goes by the name "Reformed" isn't necessarily so, some of the larger bodies of the "Reformed" are liberal enough to give away the store.” Reformed-Catholic Dialogue Presents Papers on Eucharist

Swan points to various quotes from Roman Catholics on purgatory. From John Paul II: "In Sacred Scripture, we can grasp certain elements that help us to understand the meaning of [purgatory], even if it is not formally described. They express the belief that we cannot approach God without undergoing some kind of purification." Swan translates: We have a theological concept without explicit proof, so any verse that sounds remotely close enough to that concept weighs in as affirmative Biblical evidence. There are several more, including those to the effect of a contradiction between the Pope and another Romanist leader, the wiggle room in the doctrine, the freedom to speculate in each generation (so the doctrine is different), etc. Translating Purgatory

Hays provides a quote that says, “In investigating memory-beliefs, there are certain points which must be borne in mind. In the first place, everything constituting a memory-belief is happening now, not in that past time to which the belief is said to refer. It is not logically necessary to the existence of a memory-belief that the event remembered should have occurred…” This is often used to ridicule the YEC argument for apparent age. i) While they claim it shows the absurdity of apparent age,absurdity is context dependent, as there can be scenarios where there is reason to doubt the veridicality of memories (e.g. hypnosis). ii). Ironically,evolutionary psychology is a prescription for skepticism regarding the external world. Hays provides several Dawkins’ quotes illustrating this. No, Virginia, the world is fake

Carolyn Mahaney gives some advice for mother’s so that they keep their priorities in order – they need to structure their lives to do that which is most important first, not as a legalistic thing, but to protect that which is a priority. e.g. Don’t check e-mail until after everything is done. First Things First

Janelle of Girltalk gives three points of advice for the mothering mission: i) Search out the Scriptures for understanding on parenting. ii) Search out those in the church who have done this before. iii) Search out good books on the matter. Proverbs 29:17: “Discipline your son, and he will give you rest; he will give delight to your heart.” Search!

Kristin of Girltalk suggests that mothers hold fast to this promise and find strength in it: Galatians 6:9 says: "Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up." She also lists these posts: 1. Preach the gospel to yourself (pt. one and two) 2. Prize your husband (pt. one and two) 3. Parent all the time (pt. one, two and three) 4. Pay attention (pt. one, two and three) 5. Pursue help in parenting. Strength For a Weary Mom

While most men find it easy to lead their families in trivial things like watching movies, an understanding that a father must care for and lead his family spiritually is dropped in many homes. Intentional manhood means leading our family to fulfill their purpose: to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. Family worship is the idea of a dad leading his family in daily or weekly concentrated focus on the Lord. It often includes singing, prayer, and Scripture reading. This post provides a number of quotes from great Christians of the past on the importance of this. Intentional Manhood, Part VI- Family Worship

Swan points to the irony that Catholic apologists often let us know how crucial it is to have an infallible magisterium and church Tradition in order to interpret the Bible correctly, but that they often comment on the Scriptures. Swan points to the example of Tim Staples, who tries to argue from Romans 8:35-39 that Christians aren’t separated from each other by death so they can pray to dead saints. Yet this passage is about God’s faithfulness in our suffering, and vs. 34 shows it is Christ who intercedes for us. We Have Apostolic Tradition - The Unofficial Catholic Apologist Commentary #3

White points out that Romanist apologists simply refuse to deal with one documentable historical fact: “Augustine taught that the body of Jesus Christ is present in heaven, and that it is not present on earth! Do what you will about anything else, interpret any other statement as you will, the fact is Augustine did not blush to speak of the church as lacking the physical body of Jesus.” “Augustine (354-430): The head of the Church is enthroned in heaven, from where he rules and guides his body; and though the body is still debarred from the vision of him, it is linked to him by charity. John E. Rotelle, O.S.A., ed., The Works of Saint Augustine, Part 3, Vol. 17, trans. Maria Boulding, O.S.B., Expositions of the Psalms, Psalms 51-72, Psalm 56.1 (Hyde Park: New City Press, 2001), p. 104.” More Anonymous Madridisms

Adams writes that there are always problem people in the church – not schizmatics, but the stubborn, foolish, difficult, obstinate, slow, etc. There are numerous bad reactions. Some pastors just want them to leave, or want to avoid them. Or the pastor wants to give up. But God’s under-shepherds have never had it easy, and they must let Christ decide when to remove the lampstand. Look at the forbearance and patience of God with His people, and the apostles. Looking to Paul’s exhortation to even the common Christian in Thessalonians, how should pastors deal with the difficult? “Build them up.” “Counsel them.” “Encourage them.” “Support them” and “be patient with everyone.” “Come on now, discouraged, disheartened pastor: the church is a hospital for the spiritually sick, and you are a physician of the soul. What good would a physician be in a hospital of well people?” Ask for forgiveness for your discouragement and remember that you are a servant of God, serving Him by serving His people. Pastors and Problem People

Carl Sagan ripped off Antony Flew’s parable of the invisible garden with his invisible dragon in his garage. Hays points out that both assume that Christians believe in God despite the total absence of evidence, and they accuse the Christian faith of being unfalsifiable because nothing could even count as evidence against it. i) Sagan simply presupposes that there’s no evidence for God and imputes this to Christians, erecting a straw man. They begin with an atheistic assumption and impute it to Christians, and then say that the Christian is irrational for continuing to believe in God in spite of the atheistic assumption. ii) There’s a difference between inevidence and counterevidence. “Lack of evidence is not synonymous with evidence to the contrary.” So Sagan is using an argument from silence, which is only useful if an expected type of evidence were missing, which goes to the question of what types would be expected – but in the parable no physical test can verify the dragon. So Sagan’s parable is an illustration in lieu of an argument and its popularity demonstrates the irrationality of the average atheist. The dragon in my garage

CotW has an article with this summary: “Few ideas have done more harm to the human race in the last 120 years than those of Sir Francis Galton. He founded the evolutionary pseudo-science of eugenics. Today, ethnic cleansing, the use of abortion to eliminate ‘defective’ unborn babies, infanticide, euthanasia, and the harvesting of unborn babies for research purposes all have a common foundation in the survival-of-the-fittest theory of eugenics.” It discusses Galton, eugenics, and the damage to humanity. Galton was heavily influenced by Darwin, and was among the first to recognize the implications for mankind of Darwin’s theory of evolution. e.g. the poor were so because they were biologically inferior. “In Hereditary Genius (1869), Galton enlarged on all these ideas and proposed that a system of arranged marriages between men of distinction and women of wealth would eventually produce a gifted race.” The twentieth century saw multitudes of people sterilized because of this thinking. In the 21st century, abortion, infanticide, and euthenasia are the children of this thinking, employed to terminate the ‘unfit’. http://creation.com/eugenics-death-of-the-defenceless

MacDonald thinks that some people need to be a little more honest about what they really mean when they say “reaching the culture.” They either mean, i) reaching people very different from themselves; ii) reaching secular people who have no interest in God (he cautions here, saying ‘Do we see Jesus spending a lot of time targeting people with no time for God?’ and warns against trying to do this to bolster ones own faith or from the notion that the gospel is not universally relevant if it is not successful in every quadrant of society); or iii) they mean reaching cool people who make them feel cool. This quote is worth producing in full: “One of the most disturbing trends in the emergent church is the focus on ’style.’ Living in Wrigleyville, (Chicago) or Greenwich Village (New York) etc. is most assuredly ‘cool.’ And seeking to share Christ with the masses of immensely immoral 20 somethings that inhabit such regions is a worthy goal; but why is that target so popular? Almost everyone it seems wants access to the arts district in Austin Tx., or the uptown area of Atlanta. Who is this about really? When did style statements, and fashionable eye wear, and how I dress and how I act, and my toootally tasteful music preferences become such a key ingredient in reaching ‘the culture?’ Who is all this really about? Is it about lost broken people in these areas dying without Christ and without hope? Or is it about me choosing a place of ministry that advances my personal mission of self expression? I’m just asking . . .” Cultures don’t come to Christ, individuals do. http://blog.harvestbiblefellowship.org/?p=1466

Steve at ReformedBaptistFellowship points to three lousy ways of dealing with sinners. “It’s the truth that sets sinners free, so why would we even think of resorting to a lie or a partial truth?” i) The man-centred God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life. The wonderful plan might be a demonstration of God’s justice and wrath. ii) Jesus died for you. This misrepresents the purpose of the atonement, suggesting one for whom Christ died can be lost. Rather, “Jesus died for sinners” or even “God saves sinners” is a positive truth that can be proclaimed. iii) The ‘God-has-done-everything-He-can-but-now’ It’s up to you to accept Him. The last thing that a sinner needs is for his belief that he is free and autonomous to be reinforced. http://reformedbaptistfellowship.wordpress.com/2009/02/24/evangelize-or-fossilize-or-compromise-%e2%80%93-part-2/

2009-03-27

Here’s a definition: “Cosmological arguments … are theistic arguments that have historically played an important role in natural theology.  The arguments attempt to infer from the existence of contingent (able to not exist) facts, events, or beings, “a first cause . . .  or a personal being (God).” Since everything that exists is contingent and this chain cannot be infinite, there must be something non-contingent from which it all originates. Philosophy Word of the Day – Cosmological Arguments

AiG asks, are there ‘races?’ Darwinian evolution was (and still is) inherently a racist philosophy, teaching that different groups or “races” of people evolved at different times and rates, so some groups are more like their apelike ancestors than others. Leading evolutionist Stephen Jay Gould claimed, “Biological arguments for racism may have been common before 1859, but they increased by orders of magnitude following the acceptance of evolutionary theory.” Here’s a gem from Haeckel: “At the lowest stage of human mental development are the Australians, some tribes of the Polynesians, and the Bushmen, Hottentots, and some of the Negro tribes.” But as one scientist has said, “Race is a social construct derived mainly from perceptions conditioned by events of recorded history, and it has no basic biological reality.” Many today now object to the categorization altogether. Te Bible describes all human beings as being of “one blood” (Acts 17:26). The article provides some commentary on slavery in the Scriptures (it did not have anything like the connotations it grew to have during the days of those who traded human life as if it were a mere commodity for sale). Moreover, the reality is that these so-called “racial characteristics” are only minor variations among people groups. If one were to take any two people anywhere in the world, scientists have found that the basic genetic differences between these two people would typically be around 0.2 percent—even if they came from the same people group. But these so-called “racial” characteristics that people think are major differences (skin color, eye shape, etc.) “account for only 0.012 percent of human biological variation.” “It is likely that the skin shade of Noah and his family was middle brown. This would enable his sons and their wives to produce a variety of skin shades in just one generation.” The article points to Babel as the source of diversification, as peoples went in different directions, and certain traits came to dominate in each group. (e.g. dark skin helps survive in very sunny climates, but blocks vitamin D, developing rickets, etc. in less sunny climates). The article also describes biblical marriage briefly, and points to Rahab and Ruth as marriages between people-groups. We read in 1 Samuel 16:7, “But the Lord said to Samuel,‘Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.’” God doesn’t look at our outward biological appearance; He looks on our inward spiritual state. We should try to emulate Him.  “There is no biblical justification for claiming that people from different so-called races (best described as people groups) should not marry. The biblical basis for marriage makes it clear that a Christian should marry only a Christian.” http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/nab/are-there-different-races

Haykin produces a wonderful hymn from Anne Steele. Anne Steele’s hymnody

AiG provides an explanation of the numbering in Matthew’s genealogy. http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/2009/02/16/contradictions-problems-with-basic-math

Hays humourously points out that if the definition of atheism is an absence of belief in God, then toasters, inanimate objects, etc. are atheists. What's the IQ of the average atheist-. Also here. The injustice of hell

Adams argues that focusing on the details isn’t effective in counseling, if the counselor isn’t helping the counselee with the total restructuring required to overcome life-dominating sin. Every Area

Here’s an article on Boundless detailing the confession of a feeling of superiority about Mac. “I have been convinced that only "cool" people use Apple products. It is almost a hard and fast rule that if you own a Mac, you are automatically on the "phenomenal human being" list. When you look at the lineup of Mac owners, there are some truly amazing individuals making their way onto that sheet of paper. They're fashionable, impressive, stunning, incredible, even awesome. Whenever I pull out my Mac in front of my friends I get that feeling that I am so much cooler (in a nerdy sort of way) than the guy across the room whose pulling out his dinky PC laptop. It's the feeling of a Mac rush.” http://www.boundless.org/2005/articles/a0001960.cfm

This Boundless article talks about the addictiveness of Facebook, and how it distracts, exhausts, and just consumes time. “I see two issues at play in the realm of social networking and technology. One is lack of self-control. I should be writing a paper, but I'm online; I should be reading God's Word, but I'm online. The other is a little harder to perceive. It's a notion that holds the words of mere humans as much more interesting to follow than God's Word; the lives of mere humans as much more fun to get to know than God Himself.” ttp://www.boundless.org/2005/articles/a0002003.cfm

Haykin has a moving and brief meditation on a phrase which brings joy to heaven and anger and hate to hell: Christianos eimi. Christianus sum. I am a Christian. He can conceive no greater statement of identity. Christianus sum

Josh Harris provides a quote chiding political leaders as self-indulgent (e.g. they hear Mozart in their own voices, etc.) who wing public speeches, when governing is a craft, not a talent. It is to be thought out. The greatest leaders (Lincoln, Churchill) spent much time crafting their speeches, or even memorizing them. There is nothing more ‘authentic’ about such a practice and it doesn’t improve their rhetoric. Harris points out that pastors should take note of this. What the Teleprompter Teaches Preachers

Hays points out that Gerry Matatics is like a Cylon in Rome. Hays observes, “There’s a certain twisted logic to Gerry’s conclusions once you buy into the Catholic premises. His position is a reductio ad absurdum of Catholicism.” He quotes Matatics ripping into Rome, denouncing the last two popes as heretics, etc., listing off a number of their errors, arguing that sedevacantist. Matatics argues that the Roman Church is counterfeit. Battlestar Valactican

Manata quotes Reformed Christian and key player in various Democratic campaigns and administrations Neil McBride, and "two kingdom” advocate: “I would say at the outset that many times we hear, "You two kingdom folks, you Refomed folks, say that biblical principles should play no role in developing a coherent set of public policy." I don't understand that to be at all what the two kingdom doctrine says. I believe that our biblical faith can indeed inform how we think about public policy. It can and it should,” and observes that this is radically different than what he has usually encountered by two kingdom supporters on the internet. Four Kingdoms-

Hays makes a point on Carl Sagan’s assertion that  extraordinary claims demand extraordinary evidence (a Humean rule of evidence). Christians don’t regard the existence of God as extraordinary. Rather, they regard the existence of God as necessary. There’s nothing extraordinary about the existence of a necessary being. To the contrary, it would be extraordinary if a necessary being did not exist (e.g. why does something exist rather than nothing?). Rather, nature is extraordinary because it is contingent. Thus the argument carries no presumption in favour of naturalism – the sword cuts both ways. The presumption of atheism-

Hays points to an interesting idea that alleged instances of recalling the events of a past life (done in hypnotic states) are really retrocognition, a phenomenon similar to precognition in dreams. Reincarnation or retrocognition-

Hays comments on an argument that birthmarks/defects correspond to wounds on deceased persons, which some say is the ‘strongest’ argument for reincarnation. He points out that stigmata are reported in Christian and non-Christian cultures. A reincarnation should in theory happen in only one person at a time, both men and women report it (yet the template is male). Yet if stigmatic is not the reincarnation of the same person in a former life this undercuts the comparable evidence from birthmarks, etc. Reincarnation or retrocognition-

Hays provides some thoughts on what he thinks is the most cogent argument for reincarnation, by Robert Almeder. 1) Almeder grants that possession is the next best alternative explanation, but he emphasizes that cases of reincarnation involve personal continuity whereas cases possession involve personal discontinuity. Hays points to these problems: i) Possession ranges on a continuum – it’s not necessarily total displacement. ii) Evil spirits aren’t reliable witnesses – how do we know it won’t lie about its ‘past life?’ iii) Almeder assumes the criteria for distinguishing the two phenomenon, but this is quite circular, since that is a preliminary step in the whole debate. 2) Almeda says that, in the case of reincarnation, amnesia sets in after the age of 8. In the case of possession, by contrast, there is no automatic termination. i) An appeal to amnesia is a convenient cover for the fact that people don’t remember a former life. ii) Kids are quite imaginative, impressionable, and move through major stages in cognitive development. 3) The argument from birthmarks is repeated. What if possession is congenital? Possession & reincarnation

Phillips has an interesting interview with Ryne Pearson, the screenwriter of the movie Knowing. Interview with Ryne Pearson (screenwriter, Knowing)

Bloom observes that God is as intentional in what He does say as what He does not say. He gave minute details for the tabernacle construction. But He let Moses struggle with a huge workload in judging the people until Jethro came along. God speaks with clarity and preciseness everything that is required to make his people holy throughout the generations, but He leaves much for our figuring out. The vast majority of our methods or systems are not to be considered sacred. Interview with Ryne Pearson (screenwriter, Knowing)

Piper points out that seasoned believers should have both a sorrow, in that the world is perishing, and a joy, in the Lord. (Romans 9:2-3; Phil. 4:4). The Sorrow and Joy of the Seasoned Soul

Mathis provides this quote from Martyn-Lloyd Jones. “The primary task of the Church is not to educate man, is not to heal him physically or psychologically.... I will go further; it is not even to make him good. These are things that accompany salvation; and when the Church performs her true task she does incidentally educate men and give them knowledge and information...she does make them good and better than they were. But my point is that those are not her primary objectives. Her primary purpose is not any of these; it is rather to put man into the right relationship with God, to reconcile man to God. (Preaching & Preachers, 30)” Why Do Church -

Piper says, “The most important prayer is that the most important person in the universe do the most important act in the universe.” Hence, the Lord’s prayer - ‘Hallowed be your name,’ meaning, God, employ your infinite wisdom and power and love to prize and admire you above all. Pray that this prayer would be your most common.  The Most Important Prayer Request in the World

Bird has some thoughts on the Ebionites. i) What we know comes from heresiologies. ii) He’s not so convinced that they stand in a genealogical relationship with the pre-70 AD Jerusalem church, and that their christology reflects the christology (Jesus possessed by the Spirit) of the Jerusalem church which was non-divine, against the virgin birth, adoptionist, possessionist (Jesus was possessed by the Holy Spirit) and perhaps even angelomorphic. He’s more convinced that the Jerusalem church, having a diversity of views of Paul ranging from individuals such as Peter, James, Barnabas, and John Mark, was anti-Pauline, and he sees no real evidence of an adoptionist or possession christology in the Jerusalem church.  Friday is for Ad Fontes – Ebionites

Turk quotes Freeman Dyson, who says, “The purpose of thinking about the future is not to predict it but to raise people's hopes.” Turk points out that this is what all alleged "gospels" have in common: they give people hope for the future, and this is because they are imitating the true Gospel (the actual good news which is good tidings of great joy to all the people). But Christians ought to be full of hope, living for Christ because they know that to death is gain. Christians today have totally lost sight of this fact. What all gospels have in common

2009-03-26

Turk points out that people weren’t reading their blog (relatively speaking) when they were on the topic of Catholic apologetics – i.e. they aren’t converted by it. “The reason to leave Catholicism is actually foolishness when viewed by people seeking a reason: it's that Jesus Christ was crucified, and because death had no power to hold him, He was raised on the third day.” More than 1000 reasons

Turretinfan isn’t convinced. Frank Turk on Apologetics with Romanism

Freeman Dyson, a great 20th century physicist, (and Obama-supporting, Bush-bashing Princetonian) opposes global warming alarmism. “There’s a lot of truth to the statement Greens are people who never had to worry about their grocery bills,” he says. He wrote that climate change has become an “obsession” — the primary article of faith for “a worldwide secular religion” known as environmentalism. Greens are people who never had to worry about their grocery bills

Phillips writes this about Obama: “The Heritage Foundation's Conn Carroll shows and details what a financial disaster the Obama budget is and would be. Dwarfing any Bush deficit, the Obama plan would threaten to bankrupt America. Yet the most inexperienced, unqualified, yet arrogant man ever to take the office pushes stubbornly ahead, insisting on such brilliant moves as cutting tax-credits for charitable giving.” He also has an interesting comment on how taking cues on whether to spank from studies [as if studies tell us what ought to be, and serve as moral guidance!] is really pragmatism, rather than faithfulness to Scripture. 09

Hays has some comments on objections to Christianity based on (a) God’s acts of destroying whole nations, including infants, and (b) infants possibly going to hell. i) The underlying presumption is that infants are innocent. ii) Ironically, atheists and unbelievers often support abortion – so what’s their problem? Really, they’re still influence by Christian ethics. “moral time-lag.” iii) The objection poses a pseudoproblem. If you presume that infants are innocent, then infant mortality is not a punitive sanction. Rather, it’s for their ultimate good that He kills them (all will die, and innocents are surely saved). If they aren’t innocent, then they have it coming, and God isn’t unjust. iv) This means that a Christian doesn’t need to land on a position (infants are innocent, or guilty in Adam) to rebut the objection. The fate of infants

2009-03-25

Swan appreciates Roman Catholic Zachary J. Hayes’ candor regarding purgatory. He writes, “Roman Catholic exegetes and theologians at the present time would be inclined to say that although there is no clear textual basis in Scripture for the later doctrine of purgatory, neither is there anything that is clearly contrary to that doctrine.” He even says that Trent read 2 Maccabees 12:41-46 with medieval eyes. He seems to take the view of modern Catholic exegetes: “Since the text seems to be more concerned with helping the fallen soldiers to participate in the resurrection of the dead, it is not a direct statement of the later doctrine of purgatory.” He takes the acorn and oak tree approach. Swan appreciates the honesty and points out that time could be saved in interacting with Roman Catholics if they would admit that proving purgatory has more to do with finding biblical passages that seem to be in harmony with the development than actually proving it. For Catholics, purgatory begins outside the Bible and is read back in. For Protestants, it begins with Scripture, where no warrant is found. Defending Purgatory With All Your Cards On The Table

A Roman Catholic tries to argue that Luther thought 1 Maccabees was canonical. i) Luther didn't think the apocrypha was canonical because it was not in the Hebrew Bible. ii) The editors of Luther’s Works explain, “In keeping with early Christian tradition, Luther also included the Apocrypha of the Old Testament. Sorting them out of the canonical books, he appended them at the end of the Old Testament with the caption, ‘These books are not held equal to the Scriptures, but are useful and good to read.’” Alert the Catholic Apologists- A Roman Catholic Discovers Luther Held 1 Maccabees To Be Canonica

Grimmond of Solapanel writes that the search for respectability, particularly in trying to bolster a message from Scripture by appealing to statistics to show the advantage of biblical truth, actually undermines the proper foundation by appealing to an authority outside of the Bible. Moreover, the Scriptures are clear that tribulation and suffering will mark the Christian life. There are, of course, massive promised benefits, but these are in the framework of faith, and the reality is that promises of Christ reshape our whole concept of what is good in the world. “I suspect we need to work out how to begin engaging the non-Christian world on its own terms, but without giving ground to their ungodly presuppositions.” Lies, damned lies, and … (#2)

AiG comments on a lecture given by anti-creationist Dr. Barbara Forrest. “When asked in the Q&A time what people could do to oppose these “creationist” efforts, she said that university science professors need to act locally to teach evolution in workshops for public school teachers. But she added, “we can’t solve this with science . . . . It’s a political problem, so we need to elect people who will vote for science.” And then, if nothing else, people should send money to organizations working on the front lines to resist the ID and creationist efforts, such as the atheist-led National Center for Science Education (NCSE) and the group Americans United for Separation of Church and State. Dr. Forrest thinks that IDers are all “about religion, politics, and power—it’s about controlling public policy.” But this is precisely what Dr. Forrest, the NCSE, and other anti-Christian evolutionists are focused on themselves.” … “Think about the implication of these evolutionist statements. The evolution view is so weak, and the evolutionist science teachers are so incompetent, and the ID and creationist science teachers are so slick in their teaching skills, and the students are so poorly-trained (by the public schools) to think critically, that students cannot be exposed to “scientifically unwarranted critiques of evolution” because they almost certainly will be duped into believing those “ridiculous” anti-evolutionary views of origins. The evolutionists indeed have a problem. And that’s why they resort to legal and political intimidation, firing or denying tenure to scientists and science teachers who are creationists or ID proponents … and using economic boycotts to protect their theory.” http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/2009/02/23/slam-dunk-science-constitution

How convenient: “The London Times reports¹ that a recent study by The Bible Society concludes, contrary to half a century of feminist ravings about patriarchy and misogyny in Scripture, that the Bible is not misogynist.” http://creation.com/london-times-reports-that-the-bible-is-not-anti-female-is-this-news

AiG has some comments on the authorship of Deuteronomy and the inclusion of Moses’ death in the book. http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/2009/02/23/contradictions-dead-man-writing

“Joshua Press has recently released David Herbert’s Charles Darwin’s Religious Views: From Creationist to Evolutionist. This book is a spiritual biography that focuses primarily on the religious experiences of Charles Darwin’s life. Its intent is to demonstrate how Darwin’s rejection of the Bible led him to adopt the naturalistic assumptions that were foundational to his belief in evolutionism.” New Book on Charles Darwin’s Religious Views

Challies uses his own dependence on his GPS for directions (which has caused him to get lost more often than before he used it) as an analogy for disciples who are always spoon-fed every answer, unable to think biblically for themselves. He exhorts pastors to teach them to search out answers for themselves – short answers can be good, but pastors must show them how to check and research for themselves. My GPS Leads Me Astray

Peter Pike provides some general observations on the ‘testimony’ of one who deconverted to atheism. i) The atheist claims to have ‘felt’ God (obviously now that he disbelieves he wouldn’t think this is God). Pike observes that Christians believe now that you must “experience” God in some manner, and that manner is subjective. Yet most churches never bother to try to discriminate between a typical emotional response to stimuli and an actual feeling of God Himself. ii) Pike compares a Three Days Grace concert (secular) with a promise keeper’s “Christian” concert “worship service” in the same venue, both of which had the same response from the crowd. iii) Sexual ethics by self-admission had a lot to do with the atheist’s deconversion - Anyone who is in bondage to sin will refrain from fellowship with God. It’s easier to not believe what you’re doing is wrong than it is to refrain from committing sins. iv) He didn’t like how he felt, so he acted  to remove the guilt. This is purely emotional. v) He attended an emergent church – and if emergents lack anything, it’s reason. vi) The pathetic anti-intellectualism rampant amongst Christians contributed here. vii) The atheist could have used the same internet from which he gets porn to find answers to his questions. viii) Hosea 4:6 tells us: “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” Jesus said, “Is this not the reason you are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God?” (Mark 12:24). Studying Scripture leads to truth. ix) The atheist's ‘Christianity’ made isolation from evidence and reason a virtue – something that aptly describes atheism: “what evolutionary benefit would there be to deluding yourself that God exists, as all but the 3% of people who are atheists (according to some polls) do? From purely naturalistic principals, the universality of religion is impossible to explain: it must provide an evolutionary advantage, yet it is supposedly completely irrational!” x) He will either accept theism, or hold to reason for the same emotional reasons he left religion (reason is just as delusional in atheism, for without God, it is groundless). Emotion or Reason-

JT also recommends Steve Nichols’ and Eric Brandt’s book: Ancient Word, Changing Worlds: The Doctrine of Scripture in a Modern Age. It's short yet just meaty enough. Ancient Word, Changing Worlds- The Doctrine of Scripture in a Modern Age

Bird provides this quote from Karl Barth: "The fact that I live in the faith of the Son of God, in my faith in him, has its basis in the fact that He Himself, the Son of God, first believed for me ... the great work of faith has already been done by the One whom I follow in my faith, even before I believe, even if I no longer believe, in such a way that He is always, as Heb 12:2 puts it, the originator and completer of our faith ... His faith is the victory which has overcome the world" Karl Barth on the Faithfulness of Christ

Crossway has now made the Online ESV Study Bible available for purchase for just $19.99. As always, online access is available for free to all who purchase a print edition.

Patton argues that the idea, “belief is no good without practice,” in the sense of reducing belief as a means to the end doing nice things is obtuse (the context is, his expository preaching class insisted on application, “without it your message will fail to do what God actually intended it to do.”), pointing out how some think this idea is manna for heaven that Piper and MacArthur groupies just need to hear. Rather, Patton argues that God cares more about belief than he does practice (cf. Jer. 9:23-24). “The “why” is more important than the “what”. The “how come” is more important than the “when.” The “because” is more foundational than the “so that.”” He writes, “Oh that Jeremiah could be resurrected and speak to this pragmatic generation who wants to set aside knowledge and understanding for minimally based practice.” Belief, truth, doctrine, theology, are ends in themselves, and a great pleasure to God. While God says, boast in knowing and understanding Him, many today make understanding an unboastable thing. We are losing our reason for boasting. Sometimes belief is application enough, bringing great glory to God, and God wants us to know and understand, in contrast to the pragmatism of our day. Application is the handmaiden of truth - knowing and understanding God will change lives by bringing people in a right orientation with the way things actually are. “Belief is No Good Without Practice” and Other Stupid Statements

Bayly points out that German publishers have enacted their copyright and pulled the Greek text under MorphGNT, thus resulting in ReGreek.com being tanked. “The team responsible for maintaining the MorphGNT project was recently notified that the German Bible Society doesn't license the NA27 or the UBS4 Bible text for open source projects "as a matter of principle". Consequently, they requested that the MorphGNT be removed. The MorphGNT team notified Zack Hubert, and the rest, as they say, is history.” Bayly goes on about the corporate money-grubbing in the Christian publishing industry, and how, while the word of God belongs to the church, these folks withhold it unless paid. “As David and I have said many times (including personally to those who make a living off copyrights they hold on English language Bibles), no one and no corporation and no non-profit organization should ever be allowed to hold a copyright on any text of Scripture for anything other than assuring the integrity of the text they worked to produce… It is not right for Bible societies or corporations or scholar-businessmen to refuse to allow the use of a particular translation of Holy Scripture simply in order to protect their cash cow.” German Bible Society takes principled stand and shuts down open source Greek Bible tools

Turretinfan notes the tragic mess of the pagan Indians who object to the Scripture’s teaching that idolatrous places of worship should be torn down – and how the Bible publishers have apologized. “The pagan religions of India, both the major religions and the tribal religions are false religions. Their groves ought to be cut down, their idols smashed, and their hearts turned to the unseen God.” Sarna to be Cut Down

Adams argues that the balance of preaching should be from the New Testament. This isn’t to say that one shouldn’t preach from the OT: “you ought to preach some from pivotal OT texts, but even more, perhaps, from OT texts as a backup to those NT passages that you preach. The OT exposition, in such cases, will grow out of the NT passages, often as background information that helps understand the NT text.” Preaching from the OT

2009-03-24

Challies reviews a biography of John Calvin aimed at very young readers. “It easily held the attention of my six year-old and nine year-old children as I read it all in one sitting (though my two year-old fell asleep before I had completed the first page).” John Calvin (Christian Biographies for Young Readers)

Turk has a beef with study Bibles, and says this regarding the resources laymen may have: “most of the people who own these things don’t really know how to use them. And for many people, my experience is that all that extra paper and ink gets in the way of actually reading the Bible itself. If you add half-again the volume of the actual Bible to the Bible, and nobody was reading the Bible itself before you added all that other stuff, why would they read the Bible-plus-stuff afterwards?” People replace bible study with study Bibles. Often new believers are given them - ‘here, go disciple yourself’, as a substitute for the personal act of making disciples. A beef about study bibles

Hays has some interesting thoughts on Battlestar: Galactica. So say we all-

Hays provides some thoughts on an atheists ‘revisiting’ of the fine-tuning argument (FTA). i) Trying to shift the burden of proof by simply recasting your own position in negative terms is a mere rhetorical trick. ii) To argue that the universe just may not be the way we want it (i.e. suck it up) excludes the atheist from the presumption of methodological naturalism or the uniformity of nature, and thus he must allow for miracles. iii) Invoking a megaverse merely backs the problem up (its also contingent), and exasperates it, since it is an aggregate of a number of improbable universes. iv) FTA’s are based on actual evidence; whereas the megaverse is at best based on promissory evidence – the hope that it will be proved in the future. What faith! v) Asking ‘how’ the Designer would work simply assumes a model of causality that the atheist needs to prove. vi) Asking why the universe it old, OEC’s have answers in their view; YEC’s can claim that the appearance of age is the incidental side-effect of creation ex nihilo. vii) The atheist simply denies the appeal to necessary existence, without arguing his case or engaging with theistic model metaphysics. Revisiting The Fine-Tuning Argument Revisited

Carolyn Mahaney urges mothers to pay attention to their duty to motherhood at all times, not missing moments to instruct for pleasures, etc., because of the seriousness of the work (“I might as well be making a moon shot.”). “We can’t effectively train our children on the side. We can’t discipline them here and there. We can’t teach when we’ve got a free moment. We can’t mother intermittently.  Inconsistent training is ineffective training.” Pay Attention

Mahaney continues to exhort mothers to discern the biblical priorities in their season of life, and then self-evaluate to see if one is living in line with those priorities. For mothers with young children, this is: “1.    The gospel 2.    Your husband 3.    Your children” A Question of Priorities

Hays responds to those who object to things like UFC, claiming them to be de facto evil. i) Often the arguments employed are inconsistent, and cannot account for other sports, risk taken in day-to-day life, etc., since their principles must be violated to permit these. ii) Christ-like-ness can be a vague criteria for assessing morality on issues where the Scriptures are silent, since eating spaghetti or using a urinal doesn’t make you more Christlike. Christian gladiators

Bird posted a comment on Scott Clark’s blog to the effect that "There are different ways of appropriating the NPP. The most promising is to recognize the horizontal aspects of justification which NPP interpreters have pointed out (though without reducing justification to a social epiphenomena as some NPP proponents can do). It is this aspect that has been neglected in post-Reformation dogmatics since Paul is just as much concerned with 'Who are the people of God?' as he is with 'What must I do to be saved?'” which he thinks we can learn from the NPP. He thinks that Sanders’ participationist eschatology is a better candidate for the centre of Paul’s thought than “the imputed righteousness of the active obedience of Jesus Christ in order to fulfill the covenant of works!" He was labeled a "sneaky, low-down skunk who embraced the NPP ... while stilling claiming to be Reformed". The Skunk Doth Speakth

People may say what they will about Driscoll – but apparently, in the soon-to-be-aired Satan debate on ABC, opened and closed with a clear, fully-orbed Gospel presentation. “Pastor Mark seemed to be the only one that was challenging each and every member of the other side, bringing evidence against their points, logically articulating why they were wrong. He also defended Lobert, who at one point was under attack, ironically, about her demonic attack.” Preview- Mark Driscoll on Nightline's Satan Debate

2009-03-23

Phil Johnson answers some more questions from those aggressively opposed to his resistance to course language in the pulpit. 1) He is all-too-familiar with profane speech, and therefore isn’t fooled into thinking it can be harnessed as a tool to contextualize the Gospel. The concern is not that they are injurious, but that they are spiritually defiling. 2) When asked about the use of ‘damnable heresy’ or ‘pompous ass’, the former is legitimate if used to describe damnation, and the latter, while the latter isn’t profane (ass=donkey) but nevertheless should not be applied to fellow believers. He confesses that his tongue is oft too sharp, and he’s been rethinking things with the rise of profanity in the pulpit in recent years. 3) There is a clear difference between filthy speech and vivid and repulsive terminology, a distinction blurred by some [who use the former], and Scripture forbids the former but uses the latter. 4) No one has challenged his interpretation of Titus 2:7-8; Ephesians 4:29; 5:3-4; or the third commandment (Exodus 20:7). Rather, 1) some complain that he doesn’t understand the importance of contextualization; and 2) some complain that he’s exaggerated the problem. More On the Pornification of the Pulpit

White has some reflections on meeting with a Jehovah’s Witness elder. 1) He articulates their position in his own words first, reassuring them he has never been affiliated with them. 2) He focuses on showing (a) that Jesus is Yahweh in the NT (e.g. Revelation 5, Christ is worshipped); and (b) areas of mistranslation (e.g. John 14:14). Abandoning the JW’s beliefs is a long and difficult process. Reflections on a Two and a Half Hour Conversation with a Witness Elder

Proverbs 27:5-6 reads, “Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy.”  Bayly points out that Paul opposed Peter to his face, while Judas kissed Jesus, and provides a quote pointing out that these words are not too common amongst Christians, or even pastors, and refers to Matthew Henry’s commentary: ““It is good for us to be reproved, and told of our faults, by our friends. If true love in the heart has but zeal and courage enough to show itself in dealing plainly with our friends, and reproving them for what they say and do amiss, this is really better, not only than secret hatred (as Lev. 19:17), but than secret love, that love to our neighbors which does not show itself in this good fruit, which compliments them in their sins, to the prejudice of their souls. Faithful are the reproofs of a friend, though for the present they are painful as wounds. It is a sign that our friends are faithful indeed if, in love to our souls, they will not suffer sin upon us, nor let us alone in it.” In other words, the alternative to this is to be as Judas was to Christ. Faithful are the wounds of a friend

JT points to a FAQ including some definitions for various terms in the stem cell/cloning debate. Here’s a quote: “President Obama proposes "therapeutic cloning" and opposes "reproductive cloning," saying that the latter is "dangerous, profoundly wrong, and has no place in our society, or any society." So the irony is that in President Obama's worldview it is moral and welcome to clone a human and kill him--but if you clone him and let him live it is deeply immoral.” Did Obama Allow for Human Cloning- George vs. Kmiec

Stott points to the double influence of Christians on the world, as salt, to arrest decay and inhibit the spread of evil, and as light, to bring from darkness into light and promote the spread of beauty, goodness, and truth. John Stott- The Double Influence of the Christian

Bayly makes this pointed statement: “I think is that pastors today are about as concerned about the blood guilt [e.g. committing abortion] of our sheep as the chief priests and elders were about the blood guilt of Judas when he came to them in anguish, confessing, "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.”” Gratitude for recent comments made here by our wives and daughters

Here’s a good quote from Augustine: “Fear God that you may not retrogress; love Him that you may progress.” Fear and Love

Phil Ryken recommends the latest book by Steve Nichols, with Eric Brandt: Ancient Word, Changing Worlds.  “Simply put, it is the best, clearest, and most reliable historical overview of the doctrine of Scripture for a contemporary audience.” http://www.reformation21.org/blog/2009/03/the-doctrine-of-scripture-in-a.php

Windsor of Solapanel explains that while it is good to build relationships in the process of evangelism, so as to lead people to Christ, he still likes stranger evangelism, “cold turkey evangelism”: Every time he asks a stranger to talk about Jesus, there is an impact and a reaction, whether good or bad. But really, all the recipients of evangelism are strangers - strangers to God. “The Bible calls them enemies (Rom 5:10), children of God's anger (Eph 2:3), alienated and hostile in their minds (Col 1:21). Therefore, they are also strangers to God's people, alienated from God's family (Eph 2:19), “outsiders” (Col 4:5) who don't know us or understand our motivations or behaviour (1 Pet 3:16, 4:3-5).” We need to remember this, or risk leaving out crucial ‘strange’ truth. “Evangelism that fails to speak the hard truths of our estrangement from God risks simply confirming people in their estrangement. The most loving thing you can do for somebody who is estranged from God is to treat them as a stranger—to remind them of their estrangement and urge them to be reconciled to God.” Stranger evangelism

AiG discusses the Miller-Urey experiment in light of the question, could life arise from natural processes (some try to shift the problem to life being plants by aliens). “In the experiment, Miller was attempting to illustrate how life’s building blocks (amino acids) could have formed by natural processes. However, throughout the experiment Miller relied on years of intelligent research in chemistry. He purposely chose which gases to include and which to exclude. Next, he had to isolate the biochemicals (amino acids) from the environment he had created them in because it would have destroyed them. No such system would have existed on the so-called “primitive” earth. It appears Miller used intelligent design throughout the experiment rather than chance processes.” i) Miller et. al. need to assume there was no free oxygen in the atmosphere because it destroys biological molecules, so, without⁵ evidence,⁴ they did this. ii) Without oxygen, there is no ozone, so UV destoys biological molecules. It’s a catch-22. iii) Some propose the oceans, but hydrolysis is a massive obstacle at this point, where a water molecule causes two bonded molecules to split. iv) all amino acids forming proteins in living things are left-handed, but the textbooks and media fail to mention that what Miller et. al. actually produced was a mixture of left- and right-handed amino acids, which is detrimental to life. v) contra textbooks, Miller and Urey proved nothing except that life’s building blocks could not form in such conditions. vi) Any explanation has to account for the encoding of massive amount of information in the genome. “Not even one mutation has been observed that adds a little information to the genome.” vii) To assemble just 100 left-handed amino acids (far shorter than the average protein) would be the same probability as getting 100 heads in a row when flipping a coin. In order to get 100 heads in a row, we would have to flip a coin 10³⁰ times (this is 10x10, 30 times). viii) Chandra Wickramasinghe, Professor of Applied Math and Astronomy, calculated that the probability of getting a cell by naturalistic processes is 1 x 10^-40,000. http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/wow/can-natural-processes-explain

Piper pleas with Christians to combine instruction from an insightful teacher or book, who can explain in 30 minutes what would take you 10 years to see, with your own prayerful private devotional study of Scripture, lest the latter cap off at a low level of insight. A Plea for Heart Devotions and Head Study

GenderBlog writes that ABC’s family channel, with a new show called The Secret Life of the American Teenager, which focuses on the romantic entanglements of a pregnant 15-year-old girl and her friends, indicates a trend towards the sensual obsession of our culture. The shows ratings indicate that parents are unconcerned, despite its overtly sexual content. Disney-ABC’s excuse is… authenticity! You need to hold a mirror up to the culture [emerging types should give this comment some serious thought]. ABC’s Family Channel No Longer Fit for Families-

2009-03-22

Bayly isn’t so excited about Tullian Tchividjian as pastor of new two-become-one Coral Ridge PCA church: “Tully was on staff at Knoxville's Cedar Springs Presbyterian Church when they had a woman preach in their pulpit during a worship service and, being disciplined for it, thumbed their nose at the PCA and walked. Where? Into the Evangelical  Presbyterian Church where women are freely permitted to teach and exercise authority over men--even to be ordained and serve as pastors and elders (a step Tully's New City Church had not taken). When Tully left Cedar Springs, he planted a church--not in the PCA, but the EPC. ” He points out how megachurches are supradenominational, how many show partiality to mega-church pastors, and hopes that those in the PCA pushing for female leadership will repent and return to the Scriptures. You sit here in a good place

Bayly doesn’t like the appearance in evangelical commentaries of statement that tacitly dismiss the fact that the Scriptures are inspired, seemingly to attain academic credit before unbeliever’s with whom they interact. Minced confessions

A creationist scientist corrects misrepresentation, and makes this comment: “ Does a high degree of similarity mean that two DNA sequences have the same meaning or function? No, not necessarily. Compare the following sentences: ‘There are many scientists today who question the evolutionary paradigm and its atheistic philosophical implications.’ ‘There are not many scientists today who question the evolutionary paradigm and its atheistic philosophical implications.’These sentences have 97% homology [similarity] and yet have almost opposite meanings! There is a strong analogy here to the way in which large DNA sequences can be turned on or off by relatively small control sequences. The DNA similarity data don’t quite mean what the evolutionary popularizers claim!” http://creation.com/a-skeptic-falsely-accuses-creationists-of-lying-about-human-and-ape-similarities

Here are some tips on leading interactive Bible Studies. One is, “The role of the leader is to ask questions, not answer them. Even when the group asks questions, the leader ought not answer them, but ask another question instead. The principle is: don't tell them what they can work out for themselves. When you give answers, you relieve tension: the adrenalin stops and so does discussion. Try asking other guiding or probing questions” such as extending, clarifying, justifying, re-directing, and reflecting questions, as well as valuing every contribution, but not equally, interacting with the text of the Bible continually, and encouraging questions. Leading a good Bible study discussion (Factotum #6)

Walton briefly discusses the use of the terms, ‘milk and honey’ in Exodus, which refer to Canaan and to Egypt. ‘milk’ probably refers to animal husbandry and the use of animal byproducts for food and clothing, while honey refers to the cultivation of fruits and vegetables. This is supported by the use of the term in other ANE literature. It evokes the image of a prosperous land, though not a paradise. These are rather the products of the good life. The Land Flowing with Milk and Honey

Bird thinks that Paul shows elements of both cosmological (evil powers have taken over, led people into idolatry, and God will wage war against them to free His people from their evil) apocalyptic eschatology and forensic (man has rejected God and brought corruption, death, and perversion) apocalyptic eschatology in Galatians, arguing that “part of the problem of the Galatian intruders was that they lacked the eschatological framework of Paul and saw the Mosaic/Sinaitic era as continuing on into the era of the Messiah, whereas Paul infers a far more radical and abrupt disjunction between these two eras.” He also adds that ‘apocalyptic’ is an adjective, not a noun. Martyn on Galatians (2) Paul and Apocalpyticism

To take comfort in providence, you need to believe in it (God working general and personal history to His ends, a work which may seem tragic and puzzling at times). To believe in it, you need to believe God is sovereign. Providential Care

Turretinfan brings up a T-blog post (summarized previously at this blog), where Manata points out that God has appointed the day of man’s death, some men choose when they’ll die (so they can biblically choose that which is predetermined), they are morally responsible for that choice, and yet God appointed it, therefore, granting inerrancy, all Christians should be compatibilists, since freedom and moral responsibility are biblically compatible with determinism. Determined Choices

CotW writes: “both creation and evolution are built on fundamental assumptions. Young-earth creationists do not deny having a starting point of Scripture and interpreting any scientific evidence in that framework. But evolutionists have a starting point too; their materialist assumption that miracles are impossible and that all phenomena must be explainable through natural processes forces them to interpret facts in a certain way. So both sides have biases; evolutionists just normally fail to acknowledge theirs. Origins science, trying to figure out how things happened in the past, is completely different from operational science, which is testable and repeatable. No one can test fish turning into tetrapods, or duplicate the big bang to see if these evolutionary hypotheses hold true. In fact, although these attacks are ostensibly against bringing ‘religion’ into public schools, evolutionary philosopher Michael Ruse agrees that evolution is a religion, so shouldn’t we be excluding this from government schools too? It’s notable that Nobel Laureate economist Milton Friedman (1912–2006), despite being agnostic himself, stated in What’s Wrong with Our Schools?: ‘Public schools teach religion too, not a formal, theistic religion, but a set of values and beliefs that constitute a religion in all but name.” http://creationontheweb.com/content/view/6001/

Here’s a good reminder that there is much humility in learning to be served, where you need it, not merely in serving, and recognizing the ‘service’ this affords to others. Ageing beauty

2009-03-21

Grant of Solapanel has a tentative list of books in a number of topics that he is considering recommending for an apprentice. A basic booklist for MTS

“Have you ever thought about finding, encouraging and training others with similar gifts to yours to see how they could use them in the life of your church?” Apprenticing/mentoring/discipling has three elements: Development—the trainer is committed to the development and progress of the trainee. Instruction—there is a program of formal instruction to build a knowledge base sufficient for the required skills. Modelling—the trainee observes the skills and attitudes of the trainer and can ask questions. Practice—knowledge and practice are integrated by learning on the job. The trainer can critique the work of his protégé. Every Christian leader should have an apprentice. Some thoughts on apprenticeships (Factotum #9)

Mark Driscoll is debating on Nightline for the existence of Satan. Mark Driscoll in Satan Debate on Nightline

Bird still doesn’t think that Dever’s view of infant baptism as ‘sinful’ is correct, opting instead for pointing out that there are degrees of theological certainty, and in contestable areas that call for theological construction, a hermeneutic of humility is necessary because we do not have a God's eye-view of things. Mark Dever Responds to Critics

Here are some conference messages by Carson at Different by Design: The Flow of Thought in 1 Timothy 2, Is the Culture Shaping Us or Are We Shaping the Culture?. See Carson on Complementarianism

JT links to and summarizes some of Carson’s article Biblical Gospel. He outlines some of the broader considerations for understanding the concept of the ‘Good News’ from the Scriptures, and he observes that there is little difference between the Gospel of the Kingdom and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Carson on The Biblical Gospel

Paedobaptist R Scott Clark agrees with Mark Dever on baptism. “Mark is a Baptist and as such thinks that we paedobaptists (who haven't been re-baptized) are unbaptized and it is sinful to remain unbaptized. Now, as a principled paedobaptist (baby-baptizer) who started his Christian life as a evangelical Baptist, who came to his views through biblical theology and exegesis, and who is comfortable with the history of the doctrine, I'm quite convinced that the Baptists are wrong, but Mark is right that it's sinful to remain unbaptized. Further, if he's right about baptism, he's right to say that we paedobaptists are sinning. I'm not offended. God bless Mark Dever for taking the holy sacraments seriously and for taking the doctrine of the church seriously. Hang in there buddy.” He concludes by saying we all have a moral duty to confess what we understand from God’s word. This Paedobaptist Agrees with Mark by R. Scott Clark

Haykin was recently interviewed on the importance of reading and studying the church fathers. Dr. Michael Haykin Interviewed on the Reformed Forum

Hays briefly argues that Obama is unintentionally digging a mass grave – and he just keeps digging. How to dig a mass grave in 3 easy steps

Engwer responds to an unbeliever who attempts to argue that since Christ didn’t appear to everyone, it’s evidence that He didn’t rise from the dead, because He would have. 1) The resurrection is significant evidence for Christianity but not the only evidence. 2) We don’t need to be eyewitnesses to trust the witnesses of the highly public resurrection. 3) Jesus appeared to hundreds of people, including opponents of Christianity (James, Paul), and we know that enemies and those high positions of leadership became Christians after the resurrection (Acts 6:7). 4) Why wouldn’t critics just dismiss the testimony of other enemies of the faith as they do the ones who did see Jesus? 5) The empty tomb, which was guarded, is evidence. There were hundreds of witnesses, which is sufficient. The testimony of witnesses is evidence for people who weren't witnesses themselves, as is the case in other areas of life. 6) Even when ancient critics were eyewitnesses to miracles looked for ways to dismiss the implications Christians associated with those miracles, even though they didn’t deny them, and they were highly public. 7) Naturalism hardly has an alternative explanation. Why Didn't The Risen Christ Appear To More People-

Hays continues to respond to an Arminian who insists employed dictionary argumentation, saying Calvinists don’t use the common sense ‘meaning’ of ‘choice’. 1) Dictionary definitions are circular and tautological as they presuppose general knowledge of the language. 2) There is a difference between a definition and an explanation (answers, why?). 3) It’s begging the question to say a “Reformed” definition of choice leaves out essential elements. 4) In translation, when the meaning is unclear, the best meaning is the least meaning. Or, transliterate. 5) To choose=’to make a decision’, or, as libertarian Kane has defined it, “A choice is the formation of an intention or purpose to do something,” (nothing here that involves freedom to do otherwise or alternate possibilities.) 6) Depending on whether the agent is human or divine, choice has different pre-conditions. God’s choices don’t ‘form’, as His intention is timeless, and His mind was never in a state of uncertainty or indecision. 7) Even including alternatives in the definition, there’s a difference between contemplated hypothetical options, and whether these options match accessible alternatives in the real world. 8) Even if it seems intuitive that one must be able to do what he imagines being able to do otherwise, this intuition isn’t a reliable guide to a set of live possibilites. 9) There is a distinction between the mental act of choosing and the extramental availability of choice. 10) If Arminianism were true “there would be a one-to-one correspondence between the mental act of opting for A, B, or C, and the extramental availability of A, B, or C.” 11) In Calvinism, what makes a possible world possible is that God is able to instantiate it. 12) The Arminian equates volition with choice, which ironically reduces it to a mental act, a making of decision, so one can make an “actual” choice (in this sense) even though he may not be able to carry through with his intention, as this doesn’t require metaphysical access to alternate possibilities. 13) Intuition isn’t proved true by majority vote. 14) The Arminian admits that people can only do one thing–one thing rather than another thing. If you choose A, you can’t choose B. If you choose B, you can’t choose A. In this case, what’s the benefit of LFW? 15) “God’s decree is the logical consequence of timeless divine decision. The fact that the consequence is immutable doesn’t mean that God lacked the freedom to decree otherwise had he chosen to foreordain a different alternative with a different consequence. Alternate possibilities exist because alternate possibilities inhere in God’s omnipotence. The finite world does not exhaust the unlimited resources of divine omnipotence.” 16) Paul isn’t pointing out a patently absurd objection in Romans 9:19, but one that has some apparent force. Otherwise, why bother citing it? The critic is challenging Paul’s conception of God. It offends the common sense of the hypothetical critic. And people can’t resist the fact of predestination, but they can resist its teaching. Pharaoh irresistibly fulfills the decretive will of God in the very process of resisting God’s perceptive will. 17) The Arminian abandons his Wiktionary approach when verses used by Open Theists are cited. He attempts to reconcile these verse with other truths, denying their ‘common man’ meaning. Contra his own words, this is not picking from the range of ‘what it says’. Wiktionary exegesis

An atheist attempts to argues that the appearance of “I, Paul” is indicative of forgery, referencing Ehrman. i) Ehrman doesn’t think the phrase "I, [author’s name]" is as indicative of forgery as Jon has suggested, as he holds 1 Corinthians to certainly be Pauline. ii) Two translators render the beginning of Josephus’ Jewish War with the phrase "I, Josephus" – ironic since this atheist has been applying double standards, in defending Josephus, but rejecting the NT. I, Josephus

Christ is not the Christian’s employer, but his Lord, and the Master of his life. Pastors don’t have their office time serving Jesus, and then their ‘me-time’ after. We are not our own. True, lasting happiness can only be found in a heart dedicated solely and wholly to his purposes. Christ demands total allegiance, and this isn’t just expressed in vocational ministry, but in all of life. Why Jesus Isn’t My Employer

White comments on the pejorative, emotional and irrational criticisms of those who think that if a Calvinist happens to believe that God hasn’t decreed His own eternal misery, that He doesn’t fail at anything He does, that God is not in contradiction with Himself, then, that Calvinists is really a hyper-Calvinist, and surely damned. He points out the lack of argumentation, the lack of sound exegesis, and the substitution of name-calling instead of reasoned arguments. Of Squeamish Calvinists and Hyper-Arminians

Turretin cites a comment to the effect that there is a statistical correlation between whether a church has an ‘Executive pastor’ and whether there are books by Barna, or Turretin, in the library. The Concept of Executive Pastors

Adams lists what he thinks are the similarities and differences between preaching and counseling. Biblical Counseling is Like Preaching

Commenting on John 15:2, Mounce points out that the meaning of airo, translated “takes away”, (a) must match the image of vine husbandry, must contrast properly with ‘prune,’ and must parallel v. 6; and (b) in BDAG, the range of meaning is between removing, and picking up to remove. “raise up” is not part of the semantic domain. airo in John 15-2 (Monday with Mounce 29)

Walton discusses the difficulty in the designation of one of the goats on the Day of Atonement as a "scapegoat"—a ancient attempt to render an obscure Hebrew word, Azazel. i) Rather than ‘scapegoat’ we should read, “to Azazel”, so one of the goats ‘belongs to Yahweh’ and the other ‘belongs to Azazel’. ii) Many different suggestions have been put forward for the meaning of “Azazel”, including "jagged rocks/precipice”, or as a ritual including the expulsion of a goat in order to overcome divine anger. If it’s a proper name, that eliminates ‘scapegoat’ since that refers to the goat whereas the syntax is, ‘to Azazel’. iii) Azazel, apparently a spiritual being in opposition to Yahweh, is most likely some kind of demon (so Jewish tradition recorded in 1 En. 10:4–5), who dwells in an uninhabited region (cf. Lev. 17:7; Isa. 13:21; 34:14; Luke 11:24; Rev. 18:2). iv) The biblical ritual expels moral faults to Azazel, who is apparently the ultimate source of their sins (cf. Gen. 3; Rev. 12:9), in contrast to pagan rituals that expelled the demons themselves. v) The goat is a moral garbage truck. vi) Information from the ancient Near East indicates that rituals of elimination (which is what Yom Kippur is) were common enough in the ancient world, and that the offenses would be sent out to a wilderness chaos entity resonates well with ancient Near Eastern conceptions. Azazel and the “Scapegoat” (Leviticus 16)

Payne likes neither the willingness of the capitalistic right to exploit human selfishness for gain, or the naivety of the socialist left, which denies human wickedness and the idea that human problems are intractable or personal, insisting that they are  economic and social and can be solved by benevolent government efforts. He prefers “Christian.” Truth in labelling

Payne uses his own parking ticket and various traffic habits as an illustration of ‘getting away with as much as possible while defensibly within the law’, and connects this to Pharisaism, which “like all sin, has its consequences. We reap what we sow. Sin has a way of sidling up to you, getting acquainted, becoming your close friend, and then betraying you.” No use crying